DocQment

The November, 2006 issue of the STC UK Chapter newsletter has an article by Andrew Marlow, “Quality Assessment,” on several levels of measurement of quality in technical documentation.

June 5-7, 2007. Training within Industry Summit. Orlando, Florida. http://www.twisummit.com/default.asp

 by Sharon Lynn, incoming 2007 QPI SIG manager

To all in the Quality and Process Improvement SIG, let me introduce myself. I have always been a writer. 

For the past 15 years I have found a niche in technical writing and editing, first with Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin in Houston, editing and publishing acoustic, thermal, avionics, and structural analysis reports for NASA’s international Spacelab/Life Sciences missions, including Spacelab Mir, Neurolab, and Spacelab Life Sciences 2. Since 1998, I have been technical editor with The Shaw Group in Houston, Texas, where I edit technical reports and plans that document environmental remediation work performed for government and commercial clients. 

At Lockheed Martin we used to say jokingly that the engineer-author and I were the only ones to read each report in its entirety. But I saw how critical the reports were when I got to work as a ”go for”  on the night shift at Johnson Space Center during the Neurolab mission. When a piece of equipment was in trouble during the mission, the mostly mathematical reports held the key to solving the problem.  

At Shaw I have been able to contribute to the technical life of the company, co-chairing a national monthly teleconference on Technical Publications since 2002 that promotes professional development of document production, editorial, and publications staff throughout the company. I serve as author, peer reviewer, and editor of local and corporate scientific, geologic, and editorial SOPs, and contribute to the corporate style guide. I’m also author of a local style guide for the Houston office that incorporates the company guide.

I joined the Quality and Process Improvement SIG (and the Policy and Procedures SIG) because I have always been able to rely on a good process to produce a quality product. And when something goes wrong I can revisit the process and discover how to improve it, thus, continuing to assure the quality of the product. 

Please welcome the 37 new members who joined the Quality and Process Improvement SIG in October. The QPI SIG has 1026 members; STC has 15,451 members. By recollection, this is the first time in the 15-year history of the Quality SIG that it has had more than 1000 members. For the second year, the Quality and Process Improvement SIG is the fastest growing SIG in STC.

Please renew your membership in STC. The renewal form is posted at https://www.stc.org/duesrenewal/ Dues for SIGs have doubled to $10.00. As always, please choose your options carefully to obtain the best value for you. (more…)